


Teabenders

by Cherrydragon26



Series: Tea for two [8]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: And some are my own headcanons, Celebrations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Post-Canon, So don't be surprised if something you don't recognize appears in the story, Some stories are probably not canon or comic compliant, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 10:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24848527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherrydragon26/pseuds/Cherrydragon26
Summary: Compilation of stories about tea and the gaang.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar)
Series: Tea for two [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1252280
Kudos: 45





	1. How to make tea?

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am again with another Avatar fic that has Zuko in it. But at least now there are other characters too! I do like all the characters, I just somehow always end up writing about Zuko. What can I say that is my lot in life.
> 
> I don't own Avatar or the characters they belong to their respective authors and that is unfortunately not me.

Zuko is confused. And that is a feeling that is a constant thing these days, because for some reason, the tea he sometimes drinks is different from before. Zuko does not remember changing the one who made tea, or buying some kind of special tea brand for any important event. So why does then the tea he drinks taste so differently. It is somehow weaker, watered down even. Like the one who made it, didn't really know what he or she was doing.

It is not a great concern or a worldwide problem, but it leaves Zuko puzzling over it, more than he should probably. He is not that much of a drinker, but even he can nowadays recognise something, and a bad tea is one of them. His uncle would probably never drink this, not even in his dreams. Zuko doesn't really want to complain or admit it is a problem, but it does sometimes grate on his nerves.

And for some reason Mai is in a really bad mood these days. Usually there is no connection between tea and Mai in any way, because unlike him, Mai doesn't drink tea. At all. But for some reason, his gut is telling him there is a connection.

So one day he decides to call his Uncle and Mai over to his room to drink tea. His uncle comes first, they order tea, and some time after that Mai appears in his room, looking as regal as ever, but with an air of expectation. They start to talk among themselves, the tea arrives, and they begin to drink it. His uncle makes a face, and Zuko silently agrees with him. The tea is better than a couple of times he drank it before, but still not up to his standard yet. "So how is your tea, Prince Zuko?" Mai asks suddenly, and Zuko finds himself surprised at the question.

"It can use some work," he answers truthfully, but for some reason Mai's face turns from disinterested to furious and she storms out of the room without a word. Zuko blinks in confusion and turns over to his uncle and asks what has he said wrong. His uncle sighs, a tirade probably on the horizon. "Mai was the one who made this tea. And the tea before that, and the tea before that. Your birthday is coming up, and she wanted to surprise you by making tea for you by herself. However my tutoring is proving to be rather difficult for her," he admits softly, and Zuko nods in answer. "I see, so that is why," Zuko looks blankly into his cup full of tea in silence, until he puts it down and gets up to follow after his girlfriend.

"I will be right back," he declares and Iroh smiles, waving him away. Zuko hurries after his girlfriend and finds Mai in her room, lying on the couch and blankly watching the celing. He comes over and sits on the floor, his face near hers. She doesn't react, like Zuko expected of her, so when the silence becomes oppressive, Zuko speaks: "Iroh told me what you did. Or better said what you wanted to do. It is very sweet of you, but you do not have too...." Zuko starts, but Mai cuts him off before he can continue.

"I just don't understand! Why can't I get it? Why is my tea so bland, and so bad? What am I doing wrong? Why can't I do this little thing for you, why is it so hard?"

Zuko doesn't say anything in the beginning, he just squeezes Mai's hand in his own, and sighs. "I know it looks easy, but believe me. Making tea is not as easy as it looks. Especially if you want to make good tea, or tea up to Iroh standards. You just need time and patience, nothing else. It will be alright Mai, I know you can do it. And even if you can't I would still drink your tea."

Mai looks over at Zuko, and squeezes his hand harder, to support him or to support herself Zuko isn't really sure. "You did always drink everything I made, even if it was really bad. But I still want to make it good!" She almost shouts, her eyes burning into him. "And you will, I have no doubt of that," Zuko reassures her, and she smiles at him, leaning in for a kiss, which he gladly gives her.

"Now let's go back. Uncle is probably still waiting, and he will want another tea to drink."

***

The sun has risen and declared a new day. That just so happened to be his birthday. Zuko woke up, dressed up and went down the hall, to find a room where he ate breakfast. He was also looking forward to his girlfriends tea. Every day Mai was becoming better and better at preparing it for him, and he hoped she will make him another delicious tea today too.

When he entered the room, Mai was already there sitting and eating in peace. Her head rose and she gave him one of her rare smiles, getting up from the chair and coming over to give him a kiss. He accepted it, and went over to sit next to her. When the tea was out before him, he looked at Mai significantly, and took a sip.

When he didn't say anything, but just continued to drink in silence, Mai asked impatiently: "So how is it?" Zuko looked up and smiled, giving Mai a kiss on the cheek and saying: "It's perfect. Thank you for this gift." Mai returned his smile and answered: "You are welcome, Zuko. Happy birthday."


	2. A tea to remember

It was an anniversary of the massacre of Airbenders by the Fire Nation soldiers. Usually around that time, Aang would always be a bit quieter, a bit sadder, and you could always tell that even after he had come to terms with it, the extermination of his people left a deep scar in his soul that will probably never heal.

Katara knew it well, saw it repeat every year in the same way, and she would always go out of her way to be there for Aang when he needed her. Aang was strong, but even he sometimes needed support, kind words or ugly truths. He especially needed her around this time, and Katara tried to deliver every single year. Especially now that she was also Aang's girlfriend along with being his friend. 

No matter what kind of job or a task, she had, Katara always tried to come back for that one day, for the anniversary that meant to Aang so much, and by proxy meant to her a lot too. But unlike all those other times, this year she was not coming to it empty-handed.

Stepping on the field, she saw Aang in the distance meditating, so she hurried along, and sat next to him, putting the bag she was carrying on the floor. "Hey, Aang," she alarmed him to her presence, and he opened his eyes and smiled at her sadly, his deep and vast eyes full of grief and mourning. "Hey, Katara," he came closer and they gently kissed, both of them trying to stay in their meditative position and not change much.

"How are you baby? Holding up?" Katara asked worriedly, and Aang silently nodded, closing his eyes again and breathing deeply in. Katara followed his example, and they lapsed into silence, that was only broken by the sounds of nature around them. Katara meditated until she had had enough, and while opening her eyes again, she grabbed her bag and set up to work.

When everything was set up, and she could finally lit up and cook the tea without problem, she did just that and waited for it to become warm enough. "What are you doing?" Aang asked, clearly confuses by Katara's actions. "Making tea," she answered cheekily, giving him a teasing smile. Aang rolled his eyes and said: "Yeah I can see that. The question is why?"

"Do you not recognise the smell?" Katara asked hoping she didn't screw this up. Aang raised his eyebrow and smelled the tea again now more carefully, and he found out Katara was right. Something was familiar about it. "Now that you mention it...." Aang started, but he didn't finish as the tea was finally ready, and Katara gave him the first cup to try.

He took it gently in his hands, looking at it intensely first and then starting to drink it. His eyes widened, and he froze for a moment, surprise and complete shock evident on his face. Then tears suddenly started to fall from his face, and Katara put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "I don't believe it. It's the tea..... The tea..... That monks drank...... Monk Gyatso......" He started, but couldn't finish again the tears now uncontrollably falling across his face.

Katara hugged his tight, patting him on the back, and humming slowly, hoping it will calm him down a bit. However only when Aang himself took control of his emotions, did the tears finally stop, and the hug ended. "I can't believe this. Where have you found this Katara?"

"From some merchants down at the Ba Sing Sei market. It was by pure accident and luck really, that I stumbled upon it, and when I found out what it is, I had to buy it for you," Katara admitted, and Aang wrapped his hands around her waist again, hugging her tight against him. "Thank you, this means a lot to me. Thank you."

Katara only smiled sadly, feeling her eyes well up with tears, and said with her voice luckily not breaking: "You are welcome, Aang. You are welcome."


	3. The Night Tea

Sokka came over to the tent, feeling the air change and shivering because of it. Before he entered, Sokka cleaned the snow from his clothes, and again shivered to help the blood flow moving to his bones again. Moving the cloth up, he stepped in and saw Sukki sitting down by the fire, with a small pot heating. Smelling the scent in the air, he guessed Suki was probably making or heating up the night tea, a special blend that could only be made by special plants, found only on the territory of the Southern Water Tribe. "Are you cold yet?" Sokka asked teasingly, and Suki glared at him in annoyance, which only made him give her a teasing grin in answer. Suki huffed at that, and returned her attention to the tea. The man sat down near the woman, and sighed in exhaustion, putting his boomerang down, and peeling some of the clothes from his arms. 

"What, is it so bad, that I wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend? Even in this lovely place? And why are you taking your clothes off, do you want to catch cold or hypothermia?" Suki asked worriedly, but Sokka waved her worry away. "Don't worry, I am just taking off the wet clothes. It would be even worse if I stayed in them, after being outside for so long," Sokka admitted, and Suki watched him suspiciously, but decided to trust his judgment and returned to her task. "Am I going to be able to drink it anytime soon?" The water tribe boy asked, getting a hit in the arm for it. "Be patient, I never made tea, while the ice surrounded me, so of course it is going slower than usual." Sokka only nodded in answer, and peeled another layer of clothing that was wet from the cold and ice.

"So how was the hunt?" Suki asked casually, and Sokka shrugged in response. "It was pretty successful, and I saw my dad so I count that as another plus. I also talked to other tribesmen about what I came here for, so overall it was a successful haul." They lapsed into silence, until Suki deemed the tea ready and poured the tea for Sokka and her. He gently took it in his hand and waited for it to cool down. "You know, I never knew there existed a plant that could grow in this weather. And that you can actually make tea out of," Suki admitted, and Sokka laughed at that, while Suki smiled in good humor. 

"Yeah it's hard to imagine isn't it? Believe me, it is not easy to find, and when we do, it is not easy to make. But as long as we have it, and as long as it makes us a bit warmer, it is worth it," Sokka answered, and sipped at his tea a bit to see how Suki made it. "This is not bad, you are pretty good," He praised her, and Suki gave him a wink in answer. "Being around Iroh, does have it's advantages," Suki wryly admitted, and Sokka burst out in laughter at that. "Yeah I am sure it does. He could probably make any tea in the world, and it would be as delicious as if a local made it. He has special powers like that."

"You know there is actually a local legend, about how we got or discovered this tea, wanna hear it?" Sokka asked, and Suki only nodded in answer, taking a small sip of the night tea. "Somewhere a couple of years in the past, there was a great hunter in the village. He hunted tiger seals, and was very good at it, when he went out to hunt no man, woman or child was left hungry during the worst of the winter months. However, even if he was a great hunter, he had a good heart, and was a very kind and understanding man. He was not blood thirsty and didn't like to hunt for the thrill of it. He hunted to support his family, and his tribe, and that is why everyone respected him. He was next in line to become a chief, and many girls wanted him to choose them as his bride. Because everyone knew that when you marry a chief, you have a secure life." Suki snorted at that, making Sokka stop and glare at her: "That is how the story goes, I didn't invent it." She raised an eyebrow and said: "But you once believed in it," Suki reminded him, and well Sokka couldn't really argue with that. "Well, you helped me get out of that misconception, so can you please stay quiet and let me tell the story in peace?" Suki shrugged her shoulders, and continued to drink her tea in silence. 

Sokka glared a bit longer, just in case, and when Suki didn't make any further comments he continued: "However the young man wanted to marry for love, not just for tradition, so he tried to find a woman he could fall in love with. None of the women in the tribe, made his heart rate quicken, and he found himself sad because of it. However the day he will be chosen for chief was coming closer and he had to choose a wife soon enough. He tried to find a way out of it, another solution, but he never could come up with something. Then one day, when he set off to hunt, he stumbled on a hurt tiger seal out of the water, on the verge of dying. He debated if he should kill it, or try to help it live, and in the end decided to help the poor seal out. He brought the tiger seal home with him, and helped it recover. When the seal was healthy enough to swim, he let it go in the ocean, and continued on with his life."

"One day before his coronation for the chief, the young man went out a bit for a walk, and almost got eaten by a polar bear dog. However the tiger seal he saved, saved him in return and brought him over to her house. It turned out that the seal he saved wasn't just a normal tiger seal, but a Polar spirit, that could shapeshift. The tiger seal helped him through the worse of his wounds, and when it was too cold for him, she gave him the tea, that helped him through the night. When the young man woke up, the Polar spirit introduced herself and told him what happened. The young-would-be-chief thanked her for her help, and asked her to marry him, because as soon as he saw her, he feel in love."

"The Polar spirit that shapeshifted into the tiger seal, said yes, but she warned him, that she could not go with him to the village, and help him around the house. Because she was not a human, but a Polar spirit, and Polar spirits had jobs of their own. However the woman-that-was-a-Polar-spirit told him, when they could meet, and where he could go, if he wanted to see her. He promised he would do so, every time he could. The only thing he asked of her, was that she come to him now, so he could be made chief, with her by his side. She accepted, and they were off together in the direction of the village."

"The village greeted them with cries of joy and happiness, because while the Polar spirit tended to the young man, everyone in the village knew he disappeared, and they thought he died. The man told them what happened, and introduced the Polar spirit as his wife. And so they married, while the young man was declared to be chief. The woman that was the Polar spirit, soon disappeared after that, and nobody in the village saw her ever again. The young chief, met with her regularly, and they talked until the sun came up, drinking the tea she made. They lived happily like that, and the village was prospering under the rule of the good natured and wise man who was the chief. However as the years went by, the man became older, but the Polar spirit didn't age or change in that time at all. It became harder for the chief to go to their meeting place, but even in his old age, he wanted to keep his promise with his wife."

"Unfortunately while on the way to their meeting place, because of the harsh weather and his age, the old man fell on the snow, and died. When the Polar spirit found him, she cried and cried, feeling the grief consume her entirely. She brought the body to the village, without anyone seeing her, and they did a proper burial for him, crying, moaning and sobbing in sadness for their chief, for that great man that gave them food and shelter and protection. The Polar spirit decided to gift her knowledge to the village where the man she loved lived, and cried yet again, when the reality of her husbands death became obvious. Not long after him, the Polar spirit died too, leaving with her the knowledge she accumulated and everything she knew about the Pole and how to survive in it. And that is the end of the story," Sokka declared, watching Suki to see how she will react. Suki had this sheepish look on her face, and when she put the cup of her tea down, she said: "It's an interesting story. So a spirit, actually helped you discover this tea."

"At least that is what the story says. Who knows if it is true. But anyway do you want to know why is it called Night tea?" Suki scrunched her face in thought, and shook her head in a negative answer. "I don't know why is it called the night tea. Does it have to do something with the spirit?"

"Partially. They say, the Polar spirit and the man usually met at night, and that is why it is called that. But also I found out that the flavor of the tea is usually stronger in the later hours of the day, so that could be a reason too," Sokka informed Suki, and she nodded in understanding. "That is interesting. So it has a stronger taste at night?" She clarified, and wiggled her eyebrows in a challenge. Sokka grinned at that and came closer, wrapping her cheek with his glove-wearing hand: "Yeah, it is. Want to find out if that was true?" 

Suki only answered his grin, with her own, and leaned closer for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is probably going to be like two or three more stories here, but for now I hope you enjoy the ones I wrote!


End file.
